The ultimate Itinerary for Long Weekend Trip in Gujarat

Whenever a long weekend arrives, it brings a gleam on everyone’s eyes to take a break from routine life and plan for some amazing getaway. But most of the times, this happiness is short-lived because entire long weekend is spent just laying on couch; planning of the destination.

So, we have come up with an ultimate guide for your next long weekend. This hand-crafted guide will take you to Explore Gujarat – the land of Legends and Lions!

Best Time to Visit Gujarat

The best time to plan this trip to Gujarat is between November and March as the weather is pleasant. Summer months (April-June) will be quite hot to enjoy as most of this expedition is outdoor. And for obvious reasons avoid rainy season (July-October). We planned this during Mid-December when you can enjoy in
sun as well as in moon and it was indeed the best decision. New year crowd was
yet to arrive, and prices were average.

Budget for this trip

A 3N4D travel and
stay to these places should not cost more than 5-7k per person excluding fare
from home city to Ahmedabad, which is our starting point of this Journey. Moreover,
these prices will fluctuate depending on season and category of accommodation
chosen by you. But, at all these places, hotels suiting all range of budgets
are readily available with pretty pocket-friendly local transportation.

Itinerary for this trip in Gujarat

Even though a 3N4D long weekend is good enough to cover all these places, if you have a super-long weekend, then stay can be extended at your favourite destination amongst these. We’ve listed our suggestions periodically within the article. This itinerary will take you through following destinations: –

Ahmedabad – Gir National Park – Somnath – Diu Island – Ahmedabad

Let’s Begin this Journey

Start your first Day with an enthralling safari at Gir National Park. In order to make it to the morning slot, try to reach Ahmedabad by 8’o clock the previous night. From there Sasan Gir is nearly 410 kms and you can get direct buses either to Gir or to Junagadh. You can also hire Taxi from here at additional costs. Another option will be to catch a direct flight to Diu airport which is nearest to Gir National Park (nearly 85 kms). From here buses and taxi ply to Gir taking approx. 2 hours.

There are 3 daily slots for Jungle Safari from 6AM-9AM, 9AM-12PM and 3PM-6PM. However, the best timing is 6AM-9AM as it increases your chances to encounter with wilds. We recommend to book safari online through Gir National Park Website which includes the Permits required from Forest Department. Make sure to carry your original ID proofs which’re used while online booking and reach 1 hour early as you’d need to fill some documents.

Get ! Set !! Go !!!

Catch Me If You Can !

Sip Sap Sip !

Yawn by a Fawn !

Majestic Crown of Antlers !

The Morning Meditation !

During the safari you can expect to spot diverse species including Florican, Osprey, Indian Pitta, Red-headed Vulture, Sambar Deer, Antelopes, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Blue Bull, Indian gazelle and the Chowsinga, the world’s only four-horned antelope etc. We were lucky enough to get a chance to see almost all of these and capture those moments. Gir also has one of the densest concentrations of Leopards in India and we soon realized it when one Leopard came across our Jeep. Later during last stage of our Safari, we’re able to Spot the Kings – the Majestic Lions.

In case you’re on your super long weekend plan and like to enjoy a stay amid forest, then you can plan to stay at any of the forest resorts and hotels at Gir. You can check Gir National Park website for list of some popular ones. Otherwise, head to the Somnath – the next destination of this trip which is just 45 kms from Gir National Park, and can be traversed easily in 1-1.5 hour through Shared Transport available such as buses or Autos.

Somnath, the first among twelve jyotirlinga dedicated to lord Shiva, is a beautiful destination of Hindu’s beliefs located at western coasts of Gujarat. Somnath is epitome of perseverance as it resurrected from destruction and invasion at least 17 times.

Here directly head to a Hotel which you can pre-book online. Being a pilgrimage destination, there are plenty of hotels available at pretty reasonable prices. After some rest, during evening begin the following trail.

Begin with the prominent Bhalka Tirth where Lord Shri Krishna got fatally wounded and made His sacred journey to Neejdham.

A reasonable way to commute to these places is by hiring an auto-rickshaw which can take you through all major places of interest.

From here drive to Temple of Shashibhushan and Bhidbhanjan Ganpatiji, this is the place from where huntsman Jara supposedly aimed at Shri Krishna.

Now you should go to Dehotsarg area near Triveni Sangam, where footprints of Shri Krishna are also carved. In the vicinity of Dehotsarg, you’ll find many divine destinations holding strong historical significance as per Hindu scriptures.

Here you can visit the Gita Temple and Laxminarayan Temple where the divine chants of Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta are engraved on beautiful Marble pillars.

Nearby is Baldev Gufa, it’s believed that Lord Krishna’s elder brother Baldev disappeared to the netherworld from this ancient holy cave in his indigenous serpent form.

You may also visit another exemplar of heritage at Paanch Pandav Gufa and Suraj Mandir.

Later walk towards the banks of Triveni to Parshuram Temple where Lord Shiva alleviated Lord Parshuram from his curse.

Another famous temple is Kamnath Mahadev Temple with a pond believed to cure any human diseases with just a dip in it.

Finally, before proceeding to, the magnificent Shri Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple located at the verge of Somnath Beach, make a pit stop at Ahilyabai Temple which was built to cover the actual Jyotirlinga from being raided.

Hare Krishna !

Happiness of Vitamin Sea !

Blazing sunset dusking into sky !

Plan your timings in such a way that you can witness the pleasing Aarti at 7 PM and the astonishing “Jay Somnath” Sound and Light Show from 8 to 9 PM. However, the usual Darshan timings at temple are from 6 AM to 9 PM.

If there is still time to go for Aarti, then go for a stroll on Somnath Beach Chowpatty for lip smacking street food and fresh coconut water. Enjoy a beautiful beach-side sunset wandering through numerous local food joints and shops selling handcraft items.

Before entering in Main Temple, you must lock all your belongings including mobile phones and cameras into cloakroom. Be assured, it’s safe and well organised.

After attending the beautiful Aarti of Shri Somnath, roam around the exquisite realm of temple.

Finally gather at amphitheatre to watch the “Jay Somnath” Sound and Light Show. And believe us, it will be the most breath-taking event of the day!

After this
awe-inspiring show you can enjoy a sumptuous Gujarati Thali at one of the
restaurants nearby. Then walk towards your hotel to end your day and prepare
for journey to pristine coastal town of Diu next morning!!

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Published by MyEternalTrails

We're Akansha & Shubham, A couple Travel Blogger and Enthusiast Storyteller. MyEternalTrails is our travelogue in order to acquaint you with some of the most beautiful places on earth.
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